Abstract: Correspondence with family, other lawyers, judges, political
figures, etc.; legal files; office memoranda and financial statements. They relate to his
law practice in Shasta County, particularly cases involving water rights; prohibition
enforcement activities while district attorney; Democratic politics (including the 1932
national convention and the 1938 Olson gubernatorial campaign); Knights of Pythias; the
State Bar of California; and activities as state senator. Included also: miscellaneous
files, 1943-46, of Carlton & Shadwell, the law firm which succeeded Carter,
Barrett, Finley and Carlton; records re legal business of Redding, ca. 1947-52; and papers
of Oliver J. Carter relating to his career as state senator, ca. 1941-1948. (17 cartons)

Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English

Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite
and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17,
U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
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without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog

California. Legislature. Senate

Democratic Party (Calif.)

Knights of Pythias--California

State Bar of California

Judges--California

Lawyers--California

Prohibition

Water rights--California

California--Politics and
government

Shasta County
(Calif.)

Administrative Information

Processed by Bancroft staff.

Brief Biographical Sketch

Jesse Washington Carter was born in Carrville, California on December 19, 1888. He grew up
on a ranch in Trinity County and in 1905 went to San Francisco. After graduating from the
Golden Gate Law College, 1913, he was admitted to the state bar and practiced in the city.
In 1914 he moved to Redding, opening a law office there on February 5. Although a relative
newcomer, he ran for office of district attorney, losing the election by only twenty-three
votes. He was successful in his second try in 1918, and he held the position until 1927. The
major portion of his private practice was devoted to water litigation, in which he
invariably represented the farmers' side. He served also as city attorney for Mt.
Shasta, 1927 to 1939, and for Redding, 1937 to 1939. When he ceased law practice in 1939, he
had seven lawyers associated with him, and had two offices, one in Redding and one in Yreka.

Although he described himself as an independent voter, Carter usually found himself aligned
with the Democratic Party. In 1932 he was a California delegate to the national convention
and in 1938 he was active in Culbert L. Olson's gubernatorial campaign. In 1939 he
became state senator and in July of that same year Governor Olson appointed him to the state
supreme court. His twenty years on the bench, until his death on March 15, 1959, were often
marked by controversy, and he become known for the frequency and vigor of his dissenting
opinions.

Scope and Content of Collection

The judge's papers were given to the Bancroft Library in December 1963 by his son,
Oliver J. Carter, U.S. district Judge in San Francisco. Covering the period from 1912 to his
judicial appointment, they consist primarily of correspondence, legal files for the many
cases in which he participated, papers relating to some of the political campaigns in which
he was active, and files relating to his senatorial career. In addition, there are some
miscellaneous files, 1943-1946, of Carlton and Shadwell, the law firm which succeeded
Carter, Barrett, Finley and Carlton; records relating to legal business of the city of
Redding, 1947-1952; and papers of Oliver J. Carter relating to his career as state
senator.

Letters, 1916-1931. Include letters from the Office of the Federal
Prohibition Administrator, 1926.

U.S. National Park Service

Letter, Nov. 6, 1946, in Carton 90, folder 10 (OJC)

Letter, Oct. 25, 1946, in Carton 91, folder 6 (OJC)

Vickers, Joseph W.

Letter, Aug. 4, 1939

Ward, Clarence C.

3 letters, 1946, in Carton 91, folder 6

Wardell, Justus S., 1872-1945

Letter, July 9, 1932, in Carton 68, folder 4

Ware, Wallace L.

7 letters, 1931-1937

Warren, Earl, 1891-

7 letters, 1926-1939

11 letters, 1944-1947, in Carton 91, folders 4, 5, 6, 8 (OJC)

Waste, William Harrison, 1868-1940

11 letters, 1922-1936

Webb, Joseph James, 1878-1958

15 letters, 1924-1926

Webb, Ulysses, 1864

10 letters, 1918-1937. Many written as attorney general, California.

Whitaker, Clem

3 letters, 1933, in Carton 67, folder 11

Whitsell, Leon O.

6 letters, 1936-1937

Wilbur, Curtis Dwight 1867-

Letter, June 20, 1924

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

Telegram, Sept. 16, 1919

Wiltsee, Ernest Abram, 1863-1947

28 letters, 1914-1917

Young, Clement Calhoun, 1869-1947

6 letters, 1928-1930. Written while governor of California. Some
written by his secretaries.

Container Listing

Incoming correspondence.circa 1914-1939

Content/Description

Letters from family, friends, other lawyers, judges, political figures, etc. Arranged
alphabetically by name of person or organization, with special folders for the more
important correspondents. (These are listed in the front matter to this finding aid).
Other letters are in alphabetical miscellanies, preceding each group of special folders,
arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically thereunder.

box 1

A miscellany - Af.

box 2

Ag - B miscellany.1914-1924

box 3

B miscellany.1925-1936

box 4

B miscellany 1937-1939 - C miscellany 1914-1917.

box 5

C miscellany.1918-1926

box 6

C miscellany.1927-1939

box 7

Caa - Carter, G.

box 8

Carter, H. - Cz

box 9

D miscellany.

box 10

Da - F miscellany.1914-1922

box 11

F miscellany 1923-1939 - G miscellany 1914-1922.

box 12

G miscellany 1923-1939 - Gz.

box 13

H miscellany.1914-1930

box 14

H miscellany 1931-1939 - J miscellany 1914-1930.

box 15

J miscellany 1931-1939 - K miscellany.

box 16

Ka - L miscellany.

box 17

La - M miscellany.1914-1926

box 18

M miscellany.1923-1939

box 19

Ma - N miscellany.

box 20

Na - P miscellany 1914-1926.

box 21

P miscellany 1927-1939 - R miscellany 1914-1923.

box 22

R miscellany 1924-1939 - S miscellany 1914-1918.

box 23

S miscellany.1919-1929

box 24

S miscellany.1930-1939

box 25

Sa - T miscellany.1914-1927

box 26

T miscellany 1928-1939 - U.

box 27

V - W miscellany 1914-1925.

box 28

W miscellany 1926-1939 - Wh.

box 29

Wi - Z.

Outgoing correspondence.1912-1939

Content/Description

Copies of letters written by Carter and his legal associates -Arthur M. Dean, Lester C.
Smith, Glenn D. Newton, Dallas L. Barrett, Daniel S. Carlton and Samuel F. Finley.
Arranged chronologically. The files lack letters for June through December 1918 and for
the year 1938.

Primarily correspondence, notes, and copies of legal documents relating to the various
cases which Carter handled. Arranged alphabetically according to the name of
Carter's client. A select list of significant cases is included in the front
matter to this finding aid.

Judge Pullen Campaign - for office of presiding, Judge of third district
court of appeal.
1932

carton 68

Garner Campaign - re Democratic Party national convention. to which Carter
was a California delegate
1932

carton 68

Olson for Governor - California gubernatorial campaign1938

carton 68

Democratic Volunteers - requests for help in securing appointments in
Olson's administration.
1938

carton 69

Office memoranda, financial statements and clients time records.

Content/Description

Include interoffice memoranda, 1935-1938; financial statements, 1931-1937; record of
time spent in consultation with clients, 1933-1934; book statements, ca. 1918-1937.

carton 70

Records re State Bar of California.ca. 1927-1933

Content/Description

Include minutes of meetings of Board of Governors and of various committees, executive
orders and rules, committee reports and miscellaneous publications.

carton 71-72

Papers re Knights of Pythias.ca. 1922-1936

Content/Description

Correspondence with other members concerning appointments to lodge positions, business
matters, social functions, etc.; programs for meetings; rosters of committees; reports
of the grand chancellor, etc.

Senate subject files.1939

Content/Description

Files kept by Carter during the period he was state senator. Folder titles are as
follows:

Miscellaneous files of Carlton and Shadwell, the law firm which succeeded
Carter, Barrett, Finley and Carlton.
1943-1946

Content/Description

Primarily correspondence and copies of legal documents relating to various
actions-at-law. Arranged alphabetically by name of person or organization.

carton 75

A miscellany-B miscellany.

carton 76

A-C miscellany.

carton 77

C-D.

carton 78

E-G.

carton 79

H-I miscellany.

carton 80

I-K.

carton 81

L-M miscellany.

carton 82

M miscellany-Q.

carton 83

R-S.

carton 84

S-T miscellany.

carton 85

T-Z.

carton 86-89

Records re legal business of the city of Reddlng.circa 1947-1952

Content/Description

Daniel S. Carlton, partner in the law firm of Carlton and Shadwell, served as city
attorney. These papers include copies of leases entered into between the city and
various individuals ; deeds for rights of way; copies of complaints on violation of city
ordinances; notices calling for bids, etc.

carton 90-91

Papers of Oliver J. Carter.circa 1941-1948

Content/Description

Correspondence, reports of various state governmental bodies and private organizations,
speeches, minutes of meetings, reference materials, etc., relating to Carter's
work as state senator. The following folders are included:

Board of Equalization - re work of the Senate Interim Committee on the State
Board of Equalization and the question of taking from the Board the control of liquor
traffic

Physical Description:
(2 folders)

California State Firemen's Association minutes of its meetings and
copies of news letters

Carter, Oliver J. - mainly political correspondence

Physical Description:
(3 folders)

Campaign for Clair Engle - 1943 special election for member of Congress

Fish and Game Commission - re legislation affecting work of the Commission

Blue line drawings: Plan and profile of State Highways (3 sheets). State of
California Department of Public Works, Div. of Highways. Trinity County between Burnt
Ranch and McDonald Creek.
October 5, 1933

Note

Gastineau vs. Hemstreet and Bell

oversize-box 3

Graph drawing: Profile of Pit River with Beaver Creek.

oversize-box 3

Graph drawings: Profile on Line "X-Y" Adjacent to Pit River
Bridge at McArthur.
October 2, 1929